Why are there people who dream of achieving something—yet never reach it?
There are people who wake up every day determined to accomplish a goal. In fact, they’ve calculated everything and are certain that this goal will lead them to something great. But even with all their effort, nothing happens. They keep trying over and over again, yet the results never come.
The saddest part is that sometimes the goal looks so promising—almost guaranteed—and yet nothing happens.
Why are so many not reaching what is promised—or better said—what is guaranteed?
The Bible teaches us:
“Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39)
Every dream begins with a thought; you could say our life is shaped by our thoughts. For example, the person who created the automobile had a dream: to travel faster from one place to another. That person began to think about how to build it until it became a reality. In other words, the car was the result of a thought.
Why is it important to understand the power of thought?
Because many of us are trapped inside a box of thoughts shaped by our parents, our friends, and even ourselves—thoughts that are merely human.
That’s where the real reason for our lack of success lies: we don’t use one of the most precious gifts God has given us—the ability to think with His thoughts.
In this verse, the Lord Jesus was facing a moment of deep anguish, yet He did not allow His human thoughts to take control. What we see in the first part of the verse is that He stepped away from His disciples—in other words, He separated Himself from human thought. Yes, the disciples belonged to God, but their thoughts did not.
By distancing Himself, we see that He prayed and humbled Himself before God the Father—to make sure that He was completely within God’s will. Jesus wasn’t battling fear; He was being honest. He knew exactly what His mission was. He knew what had been promised.
To lift the cup means to sacrifice and deny one’s own will. In this example of the Lord Jesus, we understand why many people do not receive what God has promised: because they do not want to lift God’s cup—they only want to lift the cup of their own will and their own thoughts. Even if they keep failing, suffering, and never achieving what was promised, they remain the same. Why? Because deep down, they do not yet have the true desire to lift the cup according to God’s will—the only one that leads to the greatest success: receiving the Holy Spirit and becoming truly prosperous in every area of life.
But we must learn to separate ourselves and have this communion with God—so we can do His will and become prosperous.
With that in mind, I encourage you to pause, look around, and ask yourself: Am I being guided by my own thoughts—or by God’s thoughts?
Don’t remain trapped in your human thoughts; follow God’s thoughts, and you will reach true success.
May God bless us all.
